Snape's Portrait
by Khell
Summary: Set between the final chapter and the epilogue of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". Spoilers for that book.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of these characters. They're all JKR's. I only like to play with them. ;)

*****

**Snape's Portrait  
**

"It's not fair," Harry complained. "After all he did, he ought to have his portrait in the headmaster's office."

"I know." Professor McGonagall sighed. "But fact is that he resigned his post before he died. And you only have your portrait put up -"

"- when you die while you're still headmaster of Hogwarts, yes." Harry scowled. "But it still isn't fair. He was probably the bravest man I ever knew and he won't get any recognition for what he did."

McGonagall smiled. "Oh, I doubt that. Plenty of people heard what you said about him last night. Word will spread and soon enough, Severus will be redeemed."

Harry's face brightened a bit. Suddenly, a vivid image appeared before his inner eye: A book with Snape's picture on it, bound in green leather, emblazoned with bold silver letters reading "Severus Snape - Sinner or Saint? A Wizard's Biography by Rita Skeeter". He chuckled when he imagined Snape's sour look on the book's cover.

"Is there anything I can help with?" he asked. "Cleaning up maybe?"

"You really don't have to -"

"But I want to make myself useful. Please." Harry smirked. "I'm pretty fed up with people trying to shake my hand and pat me on the shoulder wherever I go."

McGonagall smiled and nodded. "Well, in this case, I think the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom could do with some cleaning up." She frowned. "Someone ought to remove all those additional - ah, decorations Amycus Carrow put up."

When Harry stepped into the classroom, he couldn't see a thing. It was like stepping into a cave from bright sunlight.

"Lumos!" he muttered and the tip of his wand started to glow.

He held it a little higher, like a torch, to be able to see better. Carrow had left the heavy curtains in place Snape had added the previous year. They were drawn, shutting out the sunlight. Carrow had changed the pictures on the walls, however. They were even more gruesome than the ones Snape had put up. Harry quickly turned away from them. Even in the dim light of the Lumos-spell he could see more than he cared for.

Behind him, the door opened. He jumped and spun on his heel.

"Blimey, this place sure has changed," Ron burst out staring at the room and its grizzly decorations.

"And not for the better," Hermione added with a frown on her face. "Professor McGonagall told us you were here. She said that maybe, you could do with some help."

Ron stared at some dark spatters on one of the walls. "That isn't blood, is it?"

Harry moved closer to the wall. "Looks like it," he said.

"It's a miracle those horrible Carrows didn't actually kill anyone." The frown of disapproval on Hermione's face deepened as she took in more details.

"Snape never would have allowed that," Harry said. "He -"

"Would you three mind stop talking and finally start removing all that trash from my classroom?"

The new voice made them jump. A familiar voice, no doubt about that, coming from the front of the room that still lay in gloom. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Then, they slowly moved forward. Ron and Hermione lit their wands, too, so they had more light.

When they reached the teacher's desk they saw it. Another painting had been put up on the wall behind it. A huge painting, allowing for an almost life-size impression of its occupant. And from that painting, Severus Snape was glaring down on them.

"Pro- Professor Snape!" Ron stuttered.

"Very good, Weasley. I guess I ought to award ten points to Gryffindor for this unusual display of brilliance from you but I'm told that I'm not supposed to do that anymore."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged another look. Ron's mouth hung half open. He pointed at the portrait, obviously at a loss for words. Hermione looked at Harry as if she were expecting him to say something. So he did.

"Shouldn't you be up in the headmaster's office?"

Snape rolled his eyes. "I thought Minerva had explained -"

"She did. But still - you _were_ a headmaster of Hogwarts."

"And resigned. However -" A small smile appeared on Snape's face.

Ron instinctively took a step back. He knew that smile from countless Potions classes and encounters with the former head of Slytherin house. Usually, that special kind of smile bode ill for everyone who didn't manage to get out of the man's way fast enough.

"However," Snape went on, "there are no rules against putting up a portrait of a renowned teacher in the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom."

Harry laughed. "Well, I'm glad someone found that loophole. Saves me the trouble of putting up a picture of you on my mantelpiece."

"You wouldn't!" Snape looked horrified at that thought.

"I won't now. After all, you have this really nice huge portrait here in Hogwarts." Harry frowned. "You're sure you're going to like it here? I mean - in this classroom?"

"Let me see." Snape pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. "Spending an eternity here on this wall, watching generations of dunderheaded students trying to learn the high art of defending themselves against jinxes and curses and hexes. Taught, no doubt, by an utterly incompetent sorry excuse for a teacher." The smile reappeared on his face, bigger than before. Ron backed away another step and looked for cover.

Snape nodded. "Oh yes," he said slowly, "I think I'm really going to like it here."

--- End ---


End file.
